Syllabus: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Meaning
- Inclusive growth and disability rights ensure full societal participation of persons with disabilities (PwDs).
- They focus on accessible infrastructure, livelihood support, education, and legal safeguards that remove structural barriers to equality and dignity.
Current Status in India
- India has 2.68 crore PwDs, forming 2.21% of the population (2011 Census).
- The UDID system enables uniform disability certification and improves access to welfare benefits.
- The RPwD Act 2016 recognises 21 disabilities, expanding coverage from the earlier seven categories.
Need for Inclusive Growth
- Enhances human capital utilisation, allowing PwDs to contribute productively through accessible education, skills and mobility.
- Upholds equity and constitutional morality through non-discrimination and equal opportunity.
- Breaks the poverty–disability cycle, as disabilities often push households into long-term financial distress.
- Supports India’s obligations under the UNCRPD to build a rights-based, accessible society.
Key Challenges
- Accessibility deficits persist in public buildings, transport and digital systems despite national campaigns.
- PwDs face high out-of-pocket costs for assistive devices, therapies and long-term care.
- Low awareness restricts scheme utilisation, especially among women and marginalised groups.
- Employment constraints include limited training options, low workplace readiness and insufficient adaptations.
- Justice access remains weak due to procedural delays and lack of disability-sensitive mechanisms.
Major Initiatives
- Legal & Policy Measures
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- RPwD Act 2016 mandates accessibility norms, 4% reservations, inclusive education and strong anti-discrimination protections.
- National Trust Act 1999 provides community-based support for autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual and multiple disabilities.
- RCI Act 1992 regulates rehabilitation training and maintains professional registers.
- Schemes & Programmes
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- Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan promotes accessibility across built spaces, transport and ICT through updated grievance tools.
- UDID Project creates a unified national database for transparent benefit delivery.
- ADIP Scheme offers assistive devices, cochlear implants and therapy support.
Way Ahead
- Improve last-mile delivery through multilingual outreach and district-level awareness.
- Expand financing and insurance to reduce catastrophic health expenditure.
- Enforce universal accessibility standards across sectors.
- Strengthen skill training and inclusive workplace ecosystems.
- Enhance justice access through integrated legal aid and disability-sensitive systems.